


Message in a Bottle

by oneawkwardcookie



Series: Fathoms Below [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Coda, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Ficlet, Letters, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, References to 2x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27337939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneawkwardcookie/pseuds/oneawkwardcookie
Summary: Buck's found a home - now it's Maddie's turn.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Fathoms Below [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996057
Comments: 15
Kudos: 52





	Message in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> Coda for [Part of Your World](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26465248): this will probably only make sense if you read that first!

They have a few anniversaries. Buck counts Mexico. Eddie used to count the day they spent together, but that day is tinged with sadness, for both of them.

It’d taken some time for Buck to use his voice, to talk about himself and his life. It’s a clear night, the stars sparkling across the navy blue, when Buck mentions his sister. He listens and thinks of his own sisters and holds Buck even tighter. He starts to count Mexico too.

Time passes, with moments like those, and they’re coming up to a year together when he finds Buck hunched over the kitchen table. He slides into the seat opposite him, waiting in silence for Buck to complete his task. Once he’s signed off his name and placed the pen down, Buck looks up at him.

“I wanted to send her a message.” Buck pushes the paper across the table, and he looks down, eyes tracing over the words that Buck has written out to his sister, feeling Buck’s gaze flickering on him as he reads.

> Dear Maddie,
> 
> I don’t know where this’ll find you, or if it will, but I’ve always held out hope that you’d come back to me. A letter like this found me once, and now I have a new home, above the water. I’m happy and safe. I want that for you too.
> 
> I’ll be waiting for you at a cove along the Uto-Aztecan coastline.
> 
> Love,  
>  Evan  
> 

There are two diagrams underneath the scrawled words; what he imagines are maps that’ll make sense to Maddie, a small X marked on the second one.

“I’ll find you a bottle.”

He comes back to find Buck wringing his hands, the paper rolling between his fingers as he stands by the fireplace, gazing at one of the photos. He remembers the moment well.

When Chris had asked Buck what he would be doing for Christmas, he’d received an expectant look from his son and a confused look from Buck. If only for Christopher’s excited reaction, he ended up inviting Buck to the 118 Christmas party, although there were still nerves thrumming through him, as he wondered how the rest of the crew would react.

Buck had hung back at first, cautiously following Eddie up the stairs, but Bobby wrapped an arm around Buck’s shoulder, guided him towards the table, and handed him a heaped plate of food. From that moment, Buck visibly relaxed.

He’d still been teased by Chim and Hen about wading into things without a second thought, but, between their good-natured laughs and Buck’s look of unbridled joy at the festivities, he knew he’d made the right choice. It was a feeling that had soaked into his bones and was apparent in the photo, matching smiles lighting up their faces as they each placed a hand on Chris’ shoulders.

“She might not know what I look like now.”

He moves to stand next to Buck, before leaning forward to slip the photo out of the frame.

“Now she will.”

Three years pass.

Three years of letters in bottles, with a new photo of his family and the spot he’d be waiting at. Three years of coming to the deserted cove to see if there’s a response, or even better, the sight of his sister. Three years of leaving without her, Eddie’s hand clasping his like a life raft, like a beacon, like an anchor.

This year, Eddie is on shift and he doesn’t let him take the time off; it just breaks his heart even more to see how Eddie echoes his sadness even as he comforts him. It gives him time too, feeling an echo of the ocean in the throbbing of his heart and the pumping of his lungs as he cycles from where he’s parked the car. The air washes past him, carrying traces of salt and the calls of gulls.

He rests the bike against one of the moss-covered rocks, along with his socks and shoes, and gives himself a moment to warm his soles, curling his toes in the sand. It’s a little reminder of the small pleasures that exist above the water.

Reaching the top of the outcrop, he straightens up, craning his neck and squinting to see as far as possible, scanning the water for any sign of his sister. He thinks he sees floating strands of brown hair on the surface but it’s always just a piece of seaweed or driftwood, bobbing on the surface before a wave catches it and pulls it under, leaving behind only sea foam.

He’s almost given hope again when the brown on blue turns into pale skin, emerging briefly from the waves before dipping under again.

He’s scrambling now, almost tripping over his own feet as he descends the rocks, catching another sight of her as he skids across wet sand and splashes into the water. He can’t stop calling out her name, falling on his knees to catch her.

“Hey, hey, I’m here, I’m here!” He’s struggling to breathe, desperately sucking in air as he wraps his arms tight around Maddie, who falls limply into his embrace before she reaches up to clasp a hand weakly on his back.

He tears himself away to look at her, frantically searching over her features, scarcely believing that it’s her. She looks so different – so much older and sadder and pained - and he can’t bear to wipe at her face to work out if it’s seawater or tears that are streaming down her face, for fear of falling apart himself. Her eyes still shine bright, burning with a resilience that has got her this far, got her away from her old life and back to him. As she brings another hand up to hold him close, he thanks all the stars that she didn’t give up.

“You did so good.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> This was part of the initial plan for the whole story, so it's not _quite_ new, although it was written after the main work. There's two more pieces from the original story that I'll be adding as well.
> 
> [This](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/McWay_cove_1.jpg/1200px-McWay_cove_1.jpg) is the image of the cove I had in mind for their reunion.


End file.
